NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Predators coach Peter Laviolette's biggest challenge adding Finnish scoring whiz Eeli Tolvanen has been finding a spot for the teenager in his lineup.
Yes, the Nashville Predators are that deep.
It's why the defending Western Conference champions have turned in their best season yet with their sights set on finishing what they couldn't a year ago. Savvy drafting, surprising trades and a handful of salary-cap friendly contract extensions have the Predators on the verge of what could be a dominant run in the NHL.
Boston, the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks have run into salary cap issues or injuries that slammed the window shut on chasing the Stanley Cup. Dean Lombardi, who won two Stanley Cups with the Kings, said he thinks Nashville general manager David Poile has done the best job yet giving the Predators the chance to compete for the next five years.
"He's still got to win it, but I think he's certainly positioned for that," Lombardi said. "To put a team of this quality together, which is one heck of a team. They can beat you in so many ways. They don't have a weakness, and to be flexible going forward, I think is a remarkable job."
The Predators not only are in the playoffs for an 11th time in the franchise's 20 years, they head into the postseason having clinched their first Central Division title and Western Conference regular-season title with a 4-3 win at Washington on Thursday night. Then a few minutes later, Boston's 3-2 loss at Florida handed Nashville its first Presidents' Trophy for good measure.
Veteran center Mike Fisher, who unexpectedly came out of retirement in February to rejoin the Predators, sees an even deeper roster than a season ago. Despite not having a single player among the NHL scoring leaders, eight Predators have at least 48 points apiece this season along with four different 20-goal scorers.
"No question it's stronger than last year for sure, as strong as I've been a part of," Fisher said. "You look at last year, you lose a couple key guys, and it made it tough. We were still real close. You just never know. Hopefully, we stay healthy. But you just never know. It's always great to have that."
Poile didn't stand pat with a team that lost the final to Pittsburgh in six games.
Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen (92) celebrates his goal with left wing Viktor Arvidsson (33), of Sweden, defenseman Ryan Ellis (4) and defenseman Roman Josi (59), of Switzerland, during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Thursday, April 5, 2018, in Washington. The Predators won 4-3. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
With Fisher taking until August to announce his retirement , Poile signed center Nick Bonino as a free agent. Poile also signed center Ryan Johansen to the longest and richest contract the Predators have ever given out on their own, signing the then 24-year-old center to an eight-year, $64 million deal in July a couple days after signing Viktor Arvidsson to a seven-year deal.
Those contracts, combined with a six-year deal in July 2016 for Filip Forsberg, tied up Nashville's top line through the 2021-22 season for a tidy sum of $18.25 million per year.
Poile joined Ottawa and Colorado in a three-way trade in November, bringing center Kyle Turris to Nashville . Poile also signed Turris to a six-year, $36 million extension, keeping him under contract through 2023-24 like Johansen and Arvidsson. The Predators gave Fisher a one-year deal.
Poile still had enough money to land forward Ryan Hartman at the trade deadline from Chicago, a seller that will finish last in the Central Division.
One deal that could haunt Nashville depends on defenseman Shea Weber, the former captain traded to Montreal for defenseman P.K. Subban . That deal netted the Predators a younger and cheaper defenseman, but Nashville needs Weber to play until he's 40 to finish the 14-year, $110 million deal first offered by Philadelphia or face a salary cap hit that would cost more in 2025-26 than the Predators' current defense corps.
The Predators are focused on this postseason with Laviolette taking advantage of his depth not to rush anyone back from injury.
"Winning always solves a lot of problems, and we've been able to do that inside of this game plan," Laviolette said.
To some critics, adding Tolvanen at the risk of needlessly burning a year on the forward's entry-level contract seemed almost like too much.
Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson, top right, vies for the puck against Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 5, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Not to the Predators who remember forward Kevin Fiala breaking his leg in their second-round series with St. Louis last spring or Johansen needing emergency surgery for acute compartment syndrome suffered during the Western Conference finals against Anaheim. Johansen said depth matters most in the playoffs.
"We feel like we're in a great spot right now going into this postseason," Johansen said. "We got a lot of bodies that can not only play certain roles, but versatile players that can step up and be great players in any area of the game. So for us, our team feels really confident in what our capabilities are."
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